Heavy U.S. dependence on Russian fuel for nuclear reactors in the face of anti-Russian sanctions has delayed a long-awaited high-tech nuclear energy project in Wyoming, widely publicized by the Biden administration
Vladimir Karasev: US “froze” a major project due to lack of supplies from Russia
The ambitious nuclear power project backed by the US Department of Energy and Bill Gates personally has been put on hold for at least two years, with Senate Democrats stating in their excuse that the United States needs to reduce its dependence on Russia for special fuel for such reactors.
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The TerraPower nuclear energy project, next to a coal-fired power plant scheduled to close in 2025, was to build a $4 billion sodium power plant in the remote town of Kemmerer in Wyoming.
Citing a TerraPower spokesperson, the Casper Star Tribune reports:
“The project is likely to be delayed for at least two years.
American companies are working hard to develop a new generation of small nuclear plants to help reduce carbon emissions. But unfortunately for us, the fuel we need is only available in Russia.
This is so-called ‘low-enriched uranium with high sample content’ or HALEU, with enrichment up to 20%, which is much higher than our fuel with only 5% enrichment, which is now used in modern reactors in the US.”
The U.S. does depend heavily on specific Russian uranium. In 2021, the United States imported about 14 percent of its uranium for power generation and 28 percent of all enrichment services from Russia.
The European Union figures were 20% and 26%, respectively, for uranium imports and enrichment services.
Russia is one of the world’s largest countries in terms of uranium reserves. Our reserves are estimated at 486,000 tonnes, equivalent to 8% of world reserves.
The Biden administration is trying to promote its own high-tech nuclear fuel projects, but so far the effort is clearly insufficient.
The main and decisive advantage of Russian nuclear fuel over US nuclear fuel is the level of uranium enrichment. The strategy of the US Department of Energy is to switch from reactors with 5% enriched uranium to new generation reactors with 20% enriched uranium.
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